Page 13 of The Fragile Truth

“But?” she challenged.

“Give me the necklace. I assume you still have it.”

“I do.”

He motioned. “Shall we go inside and get it?”

It was fascinating to watch how calm and in control he was. They might have been discussing the weather or her starting a new job at his firm.

“I’ll hold onto it for now.”

He frowned, an edge slipping into his voice. “Don’t play games with me, Lina. You won’t come out on top.”

She pushed out a hard laugh. “Do you really think I’d be stupid enough to keep the necklace here?” The irony was that the necklace was here. He’d been so convincing when Lina tried to blackmail him that she believed he’d gotten the coin from a collector, just as he’d said.

“Where is it?” he demanded.

“In a safe place.” She switched gears. “How will you help me escape?” She cringed at the note of desperation in her own voice. Hopefully, he hadn’t picked up on it.

“Let’s just say that I have a certain set of skills.”

Her brain connected the pieces. If he truly was a notorious thief, then busting her out of an ankle monitor would be small potatoes. Curiosity stirred through her. “Are you reallyThe Shadow?”

“The cute part about all of this is that you thought you could outsmart me.”

“Don’t patronize me,” she snapped.

He laughed. “Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it.” His gaze was a caress as his words floated out like a ballad. “I admire you. The two of us are cut from the same cloth, which is why we’re destined to be together.”

Lina felt a net closing in around her. She’d been a prisoner of sorts in her home growing up. But never again! No man would ever control her. She would work her charms and mold him like putty. It would take time, but the rewards would be great. To have a powerful man like him under her thumb would be an intoxicating rush.

In a swift motion, he stepped up and caught hold of her hand, and slid the knife out of her fingers. He placed it on the table beside the door. He turned to her and caught her in a tight embrace.

“You belong to me,” he muttered, his eyes going to her lips.

She pulled her face back away from him. If she gave him what he wanted right now, she’d have zero leverage. “After I escape, where will I go? I have no money.”

“How does a private island in the Caribbean sound?”

She felt her eyes bug.

He grinned like a kid. “Think about it. The two of us together, soaking up the sun on the beach. No one to bother us.”

“What about your wife?” she cut in.

Annoyance flicked over his face and then disappeared as quickly as it had come. “You let me worry about that,” he said smoothly.

She assessed him as she tried to make up her mind. What could it hurt to humor him? The minute she escaped this ankle monitor, she could start planning on how to escape from him. Or maybe she’d stay with him for a while … suck him dry. “Okay, I’ll play along.”

He smirked. “Play along? You should be kissing my feet. I’m saving you from rotting in prison.”

She arched an eyebrow. “And I’m saving you from a life of utter boredom with a wife who wouldn’t know how to satisfy you if her life depended on it.”

His eyes deepened with need as he leaned in to kiss her. She placed a finger over his lips. “Not so fast.”

He stiffened.

“If you want my allegiance, there’s something I’m gonna need from you.”